December 17, The Honorable Governor Schwarzenegger Governor of the State of California State Capitol Building Sacramento, CA 95814

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1 December 17, 2010 The Honorable Governor Schwarzenegger Governor of the State of California State Capitol Building Sacramento, CA Dear Governor Schwarzenegger, As experts and leaders in the human rights and anti-human trafficking movements, we stand in solidarity urging you to grant Sara Kruzan clemency, commuting her sentence to time served. We are confident that, as Governor, you will not find a more compelling case to grant clemency to a deserving prisoner. It is well known that Sara Kruzan first met her exploiter and trafficker G.G. at the vulnerable age of 11 years, and experienced years of abuse, sexual exploitation, and trafficking before Sara was coerced by another adult male to shoot G.G. one night. She went from one form of imprisonment, as a victim of sex trafficking under G.G. s control, to another form of imprisonment, regarded as an irredeemable criminal under our justice system. In any US court of law today, Sara would be considered a victim of sex trafficking, as defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (2000). As experts, we would recognize her youth, history of abuse and trauma, and experiences of sexual exploitation and trafficking as unquestionable factors for her care and treatment as a sex trafficking victim. While our laws and justice system have improved tremendously over the past decade in protecting and providing services for victims of sex trafficking, Sara received no such treatment in 1994, when at the age of 16, she was sentenced as an adult to life in prison without parole plus four years. As leaders in this field, we cannot accept such an inappropriate sentence imposed on a young victim of sex trafficking. Sara has spent more than half her life in prison, demonstrating to her fellow prisoners, the prison system, and the wider public that she has matured into a woman of integrity and moral standing. She has been named by correctional officers as Woman of the Year, and will soon be completing her college education. She has accomplished all this without the possibility of real freedom. For the anti-trafficking movement, Sara is a testimony to the resilience of survivors of sex trafficking, and an unequivocal choice for clemency. Governor Schwarzenegger, you have the power to grant clemency to Sara Kruzan with time served. Upon receiving her freedom, we have no doubt that Sara would make a valuable contribution to society, and to the anti-trafficking movement. This important action of granting Sara clemency with time served would send a clear and strong message to victims of sex trafficking that the justice system is on their side. Sincerely,

2 Kaffie McCullough, Campaign Director, A Future. Not A Past. Amanda Kloer, Editor, Change.org Vednita Carter, Founder & Executive Director, Breaking Free Norma Ramos, Executive Director, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women Rev. Ruben Austria, Executive Director, Community Connections for Youth Rachel Durchslag, Executive Director, Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation Carol Smolenski, Executive Director, ECPAT-USA Kay Buck, Executive Director, Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking

3 Margo Hirsch, Executive Director, Empire State Coalition of Youth and Family Services Kathy Maskell, U.S. Prevention Advisor, Love146 Taina Bien-Aimé, Executive Director, EQUALITY NOW Karen Robinson, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Man Up Campaign Lisa Goldblatt Grace, Director, The My Life My Choice Project, A Program of JRI Rachel Lloyd, Founder and Executive Director, Girls Educational & Mentoring Services (GEMS) Rita Smith, Executive Director, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence Edith Klimoski, Director, Give Way to Freedom

4 Jeannette Pai-Espinosa, President, The National Crittenton Foundation Brad Myles, Executive Director and CEO, Polaris Project Ai-jen Poo, Director, National Domestic Worker Alliance Malika Saada Saar, Executive Director, The Rebecca Project for Human Rights Sonia Ossorio, Executive Director, National Organization for Women, NYC Faith Huckel, Executive Director, Restore NYC, Inc. Sienna Baskin, Interim Co-Director, Sex Workers Project, Urban Justice Center Diana Mao, Co-founder and President, Nomi Network

5 Linda Smith (U.S. Congress ), Founder and President, Shared Hope International Kristy Childs, Founder and Executive Director, Veronica s Voice Rani Hong, Co-Founder, The Tronie Foundation Marianna Smirnova, Human Trafficking Policy Specialist, Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault (WCASA) Eve Ensler, Founder & Artistic Director, V-Day